Cash begister



,March 20, 1934. c w R EN CASH REGISTER Original Filed Aug. 25. 1924 Char/e1- 10. Grew Patented Mar. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASH REGISTER Charles W. Green, Ilion, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Original application August 25, 1924, Serial No. 733,999. Divided and this application June 7,

1927. Serial No. 197,

11 Claims.

' application of Charles W. Green, Ser. No. 733,999,

filed August 25, 1924 (now Patent No. 1,817,815, issued August 4, 1931) to which reference may be had for a more complete description of the cash register to which the present invention has been applied.

While the improvements set forth in this application are shown applied to a particular type of cash register their utility is by no means limited to this specific embodiment and the improvements are of such a nature that they may be used in other relations and may be applied in various modifications to other types of machines.

,The main object of the present invention is to compel an operated part such as a resetting lever,

or the like, to be given a full stroke. By the present construction if the operated part is given a partial stroke and released it is not possible to return it to its normal position, calling the oper- '2 ators attention to the fact that further movement is required; which further movement, when given, will release the operated part and permit its restoration to normal position.

This invention in the present instance, is shown 01 applied to a resetting lever for totalizing mechanism of cash registers and resides in an improved means for preventing retrograde movement of the resetting lever which is adapted to zeroize one or more totalizer elements.

The result of the above described construction is that a complete zeroizing operation of the totalizer is always insured thus preventing the operator from performing irregular resetting operations, either accidentally or otherwise.

It is also an object to provide a full stroke mechanism which is simple in construction, effective in its action and cheap in manufacture.

With these and incidental objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred form of embodiment of which will now be described with reference to the drawing which accompany and form part of the specification Of said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing the resetting device and the full stroke enforcing mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the elements shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing parts of the full stroke enforcing mechanism in the posi-. tions they assume during different stages of the operating stroke of the resetting lever.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through the totalizer showing one of the totalizer wheels, its associated resetting pawl and the shaft which is operable by the resetting lever for zeroizing the totalizer elements.

The operable member, to which the present improvements are applied, comprises a resettingi lever which is adapted to zeroize the totalizer ele-1 As will be seen in the drawing the means: for accomplishing this comprises a resetting seg-' ments.

ment which is loosely pivoted upon a shaft 11 and provided with teeth adapted to engage the teeth of a gear 12 attached to one end of a shiftable totalizer wheel supporting shaft 13.

The totalizer supporting shaft is provided with resetting notches 14 and the totalizer wheels withv resetting pawls 15 having their ends engageable with the notches 14 in the shaft 13. In the present case the engaging ends of the pawls 15 are normally out of engagement with the notches 14 in the shaft. The gear 12 is also normally out of engagement with the teeth of the segment but when the shaft 13 is shifted longitudinally by manually operable or other means the pawls 15 will engage the notches 14 of the shaft 13 and contemporaneously the gear 12 will engage the teeth of the segment, so that when the resetting segment is drawn downwardly the gear 12 will rotate the shaft 13 so that the notches formed therein will engage and pick up the variously positioned pawls and rotatethe associated total-- izer wheels to their zero positions. The above is a well known expedient in the cash register construction and for this reason is briefly explained herein. 7 7

To prevent the shaft 13 from being shifted longitudinally when the resetting segment has been partially operated, the segment 10 is provided with a plate 16, which, as will be clear, will get into the path of the teeth of the gear 12 when the segment 10 is moved from its normal position. It will also be clear that the plate 16 bearing against the side of the gear 12 will, after it has been shifted, tend to hold it in this position during the complete stroke of the resetting segment.

In order to insure a complete operation of the resetting segment when once begun, there is pivoted to the segment 10 by a pin 17 a locking pawl 18 which has a locking edge 19 normally (Fig. 1) bearing against the underside of a stationary member which, in the present instance, comprises a square lug 20 integral with a part of the framework structure. A spring 21 is interposed between the locking pawl 18 and a holding pawl 22 also pivoted upon the segment 10 and the spring 21 tends to rock the pawl 18 clockwise.

When the resetting segment 10 is drawn downwardly the locking edge 19 leaves the lug 20 so that the spring 21 is effective to,rock the looking pawl 18 clockwise. The parts now assume the position shown in Fig. 3. It will, therefore, be impossible to return the resetting segment after the initial movement except by first completing the forward movement. As the resetting segment is moved still further, a forward projection of the pawl 18 will strike a stationary member, which happens to be, in the machine herein disclosed, a portion of another frame 23 (Fig. 4). This will rock the pawl 18 counter-clockwise and through the action of spring 21 the pawl 22 will rock clockwise until the upper end 25 of the pawl 22 engages the end 24 of pawl 18 as shown in Fig. 4. When the segment 10 is subsequently moved rearwardly the holding pawl 22 will hold the pawl 18 in its shifted position against the action of the spring 21. This is accomplished by means of the end 26 contacting with the end 19 ofpawl l8, and when the segment is restored to its normal position the position of the portion 19 of the locking pawl 18 is such that it will now clear the lug 20. However, at the extreme rearward movement of the segment the vertical forward edge of the lug 20 will contact with a projection 27 of the pawl 22 and cause it to be rocked about its pivot, to thereby disengage the e'n'ds26 and 19. The parts will now again assume the position shown in Fig. 1.

The result of the above construction is that when the operator attempts a resetting operation it must be completed since it will be impossible to return the resetting lever to its normal position; and, furthermore, it will not be possible for the operator to disengage the pinion 12 from the resetting segment since this operation may only be performed when the resetting lever is given a full stroke in both directions, at which time the totalizer elements are completely z'eroized.

While the form of mechanism herein described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects pri marily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein shown, since it may be embodied in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow:

What is claimed is:-- 1. In a cash register, the combination with a ,le'ver, 'a pawl carried by the said lever normally contacting with a fixed portion of the frame, and spring urged means for preventing a complete retrograde movement of the lever to its normal position after the initial movement of the lever has disengaged the pawl from the fixed portion of the frame.

2. In a cash register, the combination with a lever, a pawl attached to the lever, means for operating the pawl in one direction to prevent the lever from being returned to normal after its initial movement, and a'second pawl for controlling the movement of first mentioned pawl in a'reverse direction when the lever has been given its full stroke thereby permitting the return of the lever to its normal position. 5

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of an operated part, a stationary member, a pawl carried by the operated part and normally held disabledbya certain portion of said member, and a spring foractuating the pawl to engage another portion of said member to prevent a complete retrograde movement of the operated part after its initial movement.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of an operated part, a stationary member, apawl carried by the operated part and normally held disabled by a certain portion of said member, a spring for actuating the pawl to engage another portion of said member to prevent a complete retrograde movement of the operated part after its initial movement, and a supplemental stationary member adapted to disable said pawl to permit the complete return movement of the operated part.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of an operated part, a stationary member, a pawl carried by the operated part and normally held disabled by a certain portion of said member, a spring for actuating the pawl to engage another portion of said member to limit retrograde movement of the operated part after its initial movement, a supplemental member for disabling said pawl, and a holdingpawl adapted to hold the first mentioned pawl in its disabled position to permit the complete return movement of the operated part.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a movable member, a pawl mounted thereon, a pair of stops adapted to engage said pawl in the two extreme positions of 110 said member, and a detent cooperating with said pawl to hold it out of the path of one stop only after it has been engaged by the other stop. Y

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a movable member, a pawl a cooperating detent attached to said member, 'a stop with which the pawl cooperates when the member is moved'a predetermined amount, and another stop which when said member 'a'p' proaches normal "position either obstructs the pawl or operates the detent to release the pawl depending upon whether or not the pawl cooperated with the first mentioned stop;

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a lever movable in two directions when out of normal position, means connected to said lever for preventing the return thereof to'normal position upon the initial move ment of said lever away from normal, and an element cooperating with said means to disable the latter upon the completion of a full-stroke of said lever away from its normal position.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a movable member, a relatively fixed element, a pawl carried by said member normally contacting said element and movable out of contact therewith iupon the initial move: ment of said member from its normal position, and means for automatically shifting said pawl into position for preventing the return "of "said 14.0 member to normal position after said pawl as been removed from contact with said element.

10. In a machine r theclass described, the combination of a movablemember, a relatively stationary element, a pawl cooperative th said element to prevent return of saidmember. to normal position, means for shifting said ip aw'lito an inoperative position upon the-completion; 6m full stroke of'said member from normal ppsitibn, and a detent for holding said pawl in "said "men with said pawl, one of said stops adapted to.

limit the motion 01. the lever, the other one or said stops being adapted to move the pawl out of limiting relation with respect to the other stop.

CHARLES W, GREEN. 

